DeAnda blitzed Ruiz with a relentless volley of power punches, as
he captured the vacant Tachi
Palace Fights light heavyweight championship in the
TPF 15 “Collision Course” headliner on Thursday at the Tachi
Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. Ruiz (29-18, 2-3 TPF)
met his end 3:39 into round three.

“He just wasn’t giving up,” said DeAnda, who has gone the distance
only once in his 13-fight career. “If it wasn’t for [referee Jason]
McCoy, we’d probably still be fighting.”

DeAnda was masterful throughout the matchup, dazzling his foe and
onlookers with clean power punches, exceptional lateral movement
and excellent takedown defense. Once it became clear Ruiz could not
keep him on the ground, the fight was essentially over. DeAnda
spent the first two rounds softening the Strikeforce,
EliteXC and
World Extreme Cagefighting veteran with a vast assortment of
strikes, both in close quarters and at a distance.

In round three, with Ruiz clearly on the wane, DeAnda made his
move. He pinned the 35-year-old Californian to the cage and
unleashed a merciless stream of hooks and uppercuts with both
hands. Ruiz never went down, but he was a spent force and McCoy had
reason to intervene on his behalf.

DeAnda, who trains with fast-rising
UFC bantamweight contender Michael
McDonald, has won 10 of his past 11 bouts.

“Whatever they put in front of me,” he said, “I’m ready for the
challenge.”

In the co-main event, aggressive standup and a series of takedowns
carried former Palace Fighting Championship titleholder Rolando
Velasco to a unanimous verdict over “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 14 alum Carson
Beebe at 135 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28
for Velasco (8-2-1, 2-0 TPF), the defeat snapping Beebe’s streak of
six consecutive victories.

Velasco struck for takedowns in all three rounds and attacked with
winging punches while standing. Beebe (12-2, 0-1 TPF) did his best
work in the third frame, where he recorded a takedown of his own,
settled into half guard and ultimately moved to Velasco’s back.
Despite the advantageous position, nothing materialized for Beebe,
the younger brother of former WEC bantamweight champion Chase
Beebe.

Avila (10-1, 3-0 TPF) struck for a takedown inside the first 30
seconds, set up the guillotine from half guard, stepped into mount
and finished it. He has won his last nine fights, six of them
first-round finishes.

Martinez moved to the clinch from the start and slowly wore down
Bernstein (4-7, 0-1 TPF) in close quarters. He stepped up his
attack over the final 10 minutes, as he moved to Bernstein’s back
in the second and third rounds, threatening him with rear-naked
chokes. Though Bernstein refused to succumb to a finish, he could
do nothing to avoid a fifth defeat in six appearances.

Finally, once-beaten Team Alpha Male prospect Andre Fili
extended his winning streak to seven fights with a unanimous
decision over Enoch
Wilson in a featured 150-pound catchweight battle. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Fili (11-1, 2-0
TPF).

Fili controlled the distance with his reach and speed, struck for
timely takedowns and peppered his experienced foe with punches and
elbows from inside guard. Wilson (16-8-2, 0-2 TPF) twice moved to
full mount but failed to hold the position, as Fili sprang
reversals and resumed his attack from the top. The 22-year-old
sealed it with a pair of third-round takedowns.

In preliminary action, Art
Arciniega recorded his sixth straight victory with a unanimous
nod over Strikeforce veteran Alexander
Crispim at 145 pounds, sweeping the scorecards by 30-27, 29-28
and 29-28 counts; Team Alpha Male’s Freddie
Aquitania captured a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) from
Javy
Ayala in a heavyweight rematch; PKG Training Center
representative Dominic
Clark stopped Andy
Miranda on punches 1:50 into the first round of their
lightweight duel; and Alex Perez
posted his fourth win in a row, as he put away Carlos
DeSoto with punches 1:52 into round one of their 150-pound
catchweight affair.